Home entertaining is increasingly popular, and you understandably want all of your guests to feel welcome and comfortable while in your home. Whether you have plans to host many smaller or larger parties in the coming months or your home tends to be the primary gathering place for your family and friends to congregate on a regular basis, you may be looking for great strategies to transform your existing space into a great entertaining area. There are a few easy tips you can follow to accomplish this goal.
Think About Seating for Your Guests
In most social situations, guests will want to sit down in a comfortable area for at least part of the time. It is understandable that some will stand to mingle, get food and drinks and more, but it is unreasonable to expect everyone to stand up for hours. Providing ample seating for your guests is critical. However, limited space is a concern, and you do not want to cram so much furniture in a room that it becomes difficult for traffic to flow through the space. Think about seating options that provide seating for more individuals without impacting the footprint in the room. For example, a bench-style seat at the kitchen table may fit more people than two individual chairs. An L-shaped section sofa may seat more people than a sofa and side chair. Fold-out chairs may also be brought out, but these are less comfortable than plush furnishings.
Focus on Entertainment
Entertainment is also a concern when hosting others in your home. “At minimum, a great space for entertainment will have some type of sound system,” said CasaTools, LLC. This may be a stereo in the corner, a built-in sound system that funnels music through the walls or something else. You may also want to turn on a football game in one room, a TV with movies for the kids in another room and more. If space and funds permit, ping pong, pool tables and other larger game options are always fun ideas to incorporate into your space.
Set the Ambiance
The ambiance of your home is also critical. Give special consideration to the temperature in the room, and use ceiling fans to regular the temperature with ease. In addition, focus on the glare of the sun, and lower blinds if the intensity is too great. However, on beautiful days, many people enjoy seeing sunlight stream through the windows. Consider who your guests are, the time of day and the weather conditions when deciding whether to raise or lower blinds. During the evening hours, use light fixtures with dimmer switches to control the mood in the room. The room should be light enough so that people can see the food, see who they are talking to and more. However, it should not be so intense that it makes your guests uncomfortable.
Choose Affordable Decorative Pieces
Home décor can also play a major role in how comfortable your guests feel. If you often entertain families with kids, the parents can easily feel uncomfortable if your home is decorated with expensive and fragile items. They may not feel comfortable letting their kids roam away and may keep them close beside them. This can lead to whining and an uncomfortable situation for all. On the other hand, if you regularly entertain a sophisticated group of adults, investing in fine art and other pieces can serve as talking points and can create a beautiful atmosphere.
Creating a Decorating Plan
As you can see, there are many factors that must be considered to redecorate your home with entertaining in mind. A home that is frequently used for entertaining should be decorated with both your family’s needs and your guests’ needs in mind. You can set a decorating budget as a first step. Then, take a closer look at the existing seating, lighting and entertainment features in the space. Consider the most cost-effective ways to use your money that will yield more bang for the buck.
Redecorating your home can be a major undertaking, but it may be a project well worth completing. When your home is beautifully decorated with both aesthetics and practicality in mind, it will be a home that you can feel confident entertaining in. Focus on these tips as you make plans to redecorate your space.
